New GRRM interview

[The Frostfangs]

I think the final chapter will be a non-POV character who has been there from the start, and gone through everything without really being a main character...

Gendry?

Hodor?

[lojzelote]

Ok, say Jon is Rhaegar's bastard (not saying he is). How will anyone in the seven kingdoms believe it to be true?

Why do you think that anyone has to believe it to be true? Maybe it will simply give him Superblood which will enable him to beat the Others.

After all, the Targaryens are the Aryans of ASoIaF and cool warg abilities don't hurt either. :cool4:

(Not saying anything of the above is the case.)

[deleted01]

Ok, say Jon is Rhaegar's bastard (not saying he is). How will anyone in the seven kingdoms believe it to be true?

Quick derail: I think this is missing the point. Personally, the way I read Jon, I think him being the son of R and L won't matter to him. He's a Stark through and through, he's "of the North", and being half-Targaryen won't change that for him. At least, this is what I hope. I think he'll keep the information to himself, rather than declare it to the realm and demand that everyone bends the knee. Him knowing where he came from might give him some peace of mind, but I don't see how much difference it can make in his life. Again, this is what I hope. If he goes riding south swinging his sword and demanded the iron throne, I'll eat my hat (and throw my book out of the window) ;)

[FittleLinger]

Quick derail: I think this is missing the point. Personally, the way I read Jon, I think him being the son of R and L won't matter to him. He's a Stark through and through, he's "of the North", and being half-Targaryen won't change that for him. At least, this is what I hope. I think he'll keep the information to himself, rather than declare it to the realm and demand that everyone bends the knee. Him knowing where he came from might give him some peace of mind, but I don't see how much difference it can make in his life. Again, this is what I hope. If he goes riding south swinging his sword and demanded the iron throne, I'll eat my hat (and throw my book out of the window) ;)

Same thoughts here - I think he will remember maester Aemon's case, who went to the Wall in order to "escape" the whole succession mumbo-jumbo. So it will have been a foreshadowing of sort.

[Winterfell is Burning]

Ok, say Jon is Rhaegar's bastard (not saying he is). How will anyone in the seven kingdoms believe it to be true?

Well, a lot of people that do know him would.

But anyway, who said the entire Seven Kingdoms will know?

[Kobayashi Maru]

Same thoughts here - I think he will remember maester Aemon's case, who went to the Wall in order to "escape" the whole succession mumbo-jumbo. So it will have been a foreshadowing of sort.

:agree:

Also he chose the wall over more important things than some throne he never even saw.

[Two Towers]

- In the last Jon Snow chapter from ADWD, for the first time there's a temporary ellipsis in the story of events. Is that a deception for the reader?

Oh, I don't think is the first time, I've done it plenty! (laughs) There are a lot of conversations we didn't get to listen (laughs). Anyway, it is uncovered a few minutes later in a more dramatic way. Jon gives this great speech in front of everyone explaining what Tormund and himself had decided: Jon is going to ride South with his army against Bolton's bastard and Tormund will command the bulk of the Night's Watch to Hardhome. That's what they were discussing.

- There must be a trick there, I know (laughs)

(laughs) You surely are suspicious (laughs)

I'm not sure if this was an attempt at misdirection or an actual honest answer. I thought there could be something important there, but I'm not so sure now.

[FittleLinger]

:agree:

Also he chose the wall over more important things than some throne he never even saw.

Right, and just to finish this discussion - he refused Stannis to accept the Lord of Winterfell, which is a title and place that he holds dear, unlike the Iron throne.

ETA - maybe that's exactly what you meant. Maybe not. I said it anyway :D

[RenlyIsNotRight]

Well, knowing that Howland was not there when Lyanna made the promise to Ned changes what I thought happened there a little bit - did Howland beckon Ned to go find Lyanna and fight in his stead, then defeat Dayne? That would actually be kind of awesome - no doubt Ned was not expecting Howland to return, and was probably shocked to find him taking his hand out of his sisters.

[Mathieu Thielemans]

Here's what we know:

• 'A Feast for Crows' was intended to cover the material that was lost when Martin scrapped the five year gap, but it became too long.
  
• Instead of naming the second half 'A Feast for Crows Volume II', he named it 'A Dance with Dragons', a title he had intended to use for the book that followed 'A Storm of Swords'.
  
• Martin has confirmed that there will be a second dance of the dragons, which will be the subject of a book. We can infer from this that it was most likely intended to be included in the original 'A Dance with Dragons'.
  
• As 'A Dance with Dragons' has now caught up with (or surpassed?) where the five year gap would have left us, we can assume that the second dance of the dragons will take place in 'The Winds of Winter'.
  
• For a second dance of the dragons to take place, Daenerys and Aegon would both have to be in Westeros, meaning I doubt we'll be seeing Dany in Essos for longer than is necessary to tie up the loose ends.
  

All that is just a long-winded way of saying: yes, he plans to have Dany land in Westeros in the next book.

Doesn't actually have to be in Westeros. Let's say someone blows the dragon horn and it actually works. Wouldn't there be a dance of the dragons (I think you're talking about the war between those brother and sister who each wanted to be King/Queen) in Mereen. If it were Victarion, I don't doubt he'd try to fight the other dragons as soon as possible. (which he won't, imo) If he'd get Drogon (which he won't) he'd be able to beat the other two dragons and fuck up a lot of shit, even taking Dany by force.

I drifted off there, my point is, the dance wouldn't have to be in Westeros, it wouldn't have to be Aegon.

[FittleLinger]

Well, knowing that Howland was not there when Lyanna made the promise to Ned changes what I thought happened there a little bit - did Howland beckon Ned to go find Lyanna and fight in his stead, then defeat Dayne? That would actually be kind of awesome - no doubt Ned was not expecting Howland to return, and was probably shocked to find him taking his hand out of his sisters.

Highly unlikely, I just think after the KG were defeated, Ned wanted to go in there alone. I imagine a movie like heavy-look nod between the two, and Ned entering, then going out with a baby.

[kneo]

Finding out that Reed wasn't there when Ned made the promise doesn't change anything. We all just assumed that Reed knows about Jon's parentage and him not being there when probably Lyanna asked Ned to promise her that he will look after Jon or that he will protect him from Robert doesn't change the fact that Jon is a Targaryan. Reed just didn't witness the promise, he was however a witness to everything else that happened after.

[Bushido]

This is cool! Thanks so much for sharing! :)

[lojzelote]

Right, and just to finish this discussion - he refused Stannis to accept the Lord of Winterfell, which is a title and place that he holds dear, unlike the Iron throne.

ETA - maybe that's exactly what you meant. Maybe not. I said it anyway :D

Here I disagree. He turned it down because if he accepted he would have to burn the weirwood at Winterfell.

[Dany4eva]

There are other ways for the realm to accept jon snow is a targ.

Maybe rhaegar left a will detailing his heirs.

Or ned wrote a letter/will revealing details of jon's parentage.

rhaegar is cold hands n reveals to whoever of is of power n influence

Dany accepts him without much proof and legitimises him/hands the crown to him.

some other king legitimises him as a targ

[Mathieu Thielemans]

Baelor Breakspear had a dornish mother and looked dornish.

And if we'd talk about bastards, we could include the Great Bastards. Bittersteel didn't look like a Targ, and Bloodraven surely didn't. I don't think Targ genes would be that strong, because of incest and all of that, but you can't apply genetics to a fantasy story.

(Just found out Bittersteel was a Bracken and Bloodraven a Blackwood, how fun. Makes me like the Blackwoods even more.)

[RenlyIsNotRight]

Highly unlikely, I just think after the KG were defeated, Ned wanted to go in there alone. A imagine a movie like heavy-look nod between the two, and Ned entering, then going out with a baby.

Except that we know Howland at some point entered the room and pulled Neds hand out from Lyannas. You're probably right that they defeated to KG beforehand, and I do like the "movie nod" thing, but Howland at least entered the room after the fact.

[Dragon of Valyria]

Baelor Breakspear had a dornish mother and looked dornish.

And more importantly--so did Rhaenys Targaryen, who would be Jon's half-sister.

[Winterfell is Burning]

Well, knowing that Howland was not there when Lyanna made the promise to Ned changes what I thought happened there a little bit - did Howland beckon Ned to go find Lyanna and fight in his stead, then defeat Dayne? That would actually be kind of awesome - no doubt Ned was not expecting Howland to return, and was probably shocked to find him taking his hand out of his sisters.

Nah, it just means he wasn't in the room, which doesn't go against what we know- surely, he would have given Ned and Lyanna some privacy.

[RenlyIsNotRight]

(Just found out Bittersteel was a Bracken and Bloodraven a Blackwood, how fun. Makes me like the Blackwoods even more.)

I always imagine Tytos Blackwood looking like a taller, dark haired, basically non albino version of Bloodraven. He's such a BAMF. I can't stand Jonos Bracken though, guy seems like a complete ass (...and so was Bittersteel)